A federal grand jury has indicted former Murray County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Lamar Greeson on two counts of obstructing a civil rights investigation.

The release about the trial from the U.S. Justice Department says Greeson made a traffic stop in August of 2012 which led to the discovery of meth and the arrest of the driver and a passenger. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation received a tip that the meth had been planted by someone to get the car owner arrested, but when they interviewed Greeson about the case, he allegedly lied to them about what he had been told and deleted information about the case from his cell phone. Greeson was fired from his job as deputy in late August.

Greeson’s lawyer told the AJC his client will plead not guilty.

If convicted Greeson could face up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of $500,000.